As you may be aware, there is a possibility that BART employees will strike in the near future resulting in a disruption to BART service. In the event of suspended service, several organizations are available to assist you with your commute.

WHEELS Extended Service
In the event BART service becomes unavailable, WHEELS will run buses approximately every 45 minutes between Hacienda and Bayfair to connect with AC Transit service. AC Transit covers areas throughout the East Bay from Richmond to Fremont. Transfers between the WHEELS connecting link and local WHEELS services will occur at the corner of Owens Drive and Willow Road. Schedules will be posted on WHEELS home page, www.wheelsbus.org, within the next few days. Hacienda employees and residents will be able to use their free bus passes on both the connecting service and all local WHEELS routes. AC Transit services will require a separate fare. To sign up for a WHEELS pass, simply follow this link: www.hacienda.org/materials/materials_commute_pass.html.

Sign up for a Carpool
Carpooling will be an obvious choice for many BART riders in the event of a strike. RIDES offers free matching services to help people find carpool partners. A matchlist pairs your commute starting and destination points and times with similar commuters. Simply fill out a matchlist form: www.hacienda.org/materials/materials_commute_carpool.html or call (800) 755-POOL to request a free matchlist. During the strike, RIDES customer service agents will provide matchlist contacts directly over the phone. A complete report will then be mailed to your home which will include names of people who live and work near you who are interested in carpooling and vanpooling. Upon receiving your commute matches, simply contact the people on the list to make your arrangements.

Need Additional Help Planning your Commute?
817-1717, the Bay Area's traveler information number, provides connections to over 20 transit operators. In the event of a BART strike, 817-1717 will provide detailed messages about available transit services before callers are given more options to connect directly with the transit agencies. 817-1717 also provides 24/7 information about Bay Area traffic conditions. No area code is required when dialing this telephone number in the Bay Area. An extensive source of information on transit is also available at both www.transitinfo.org and www.travinfo.org. A new transit trip planner, which will help you to plan your trip door to door, is available at www.transitinfo.org/taketransit. Additional resources may be found on Hacienda's web site under our resource section and through the new Tri-Valley Transportation Guide posted at.